Kamaru Usman believes that the moment his hand was raised at UFC 251 after defeating Jorge Masvidal is the moment he became your new BMF champion of the world.
At UFC 244, Jorge Masvidal staked his claim to the “BMF champion” moniker when he defeated Nate Diaz in the main event. The coronation was complete when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson wrapped the title around his waist. Dana White and the UFC have maintained that the BMF championship was a one-off and that the lineage of champions began and ended with Jorge Masvidal at the close of UFC 244.
This hasn’t stopped Jorge Masvidal from proudly claiming BMF champion status after the event. But with every championship, the title is always on the line every time the champion and his opponent make weight.
So since Masvidal’s next fight resulted in a loss to UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, does that now make Usman a double-champ and the new BMF champ?
“Of course I’m the BMF, if that’s the thing,” Usman told reporters prior to UFC 258. “And I said it before, that was just something that they created just for that event. It’s giving a participation medal for these guys participating in this event. So here, here’s a participation medal. That’s not real gold. He’s not going to go down in the history books as UFC champion.
“20 years later, his kids are gonna ask him, ‘What’s a BMF, daddy?’
He’s like, ‘You know, I was the BMF champion one time.’
‘Who else won it? Who did you win it from?’
‘I don’t know. They just handed me a ribbon and said I was the BMF champion.’
“So that’s how I think about that,” Usman said after concluding his skit. Usman would then conclude his argument by pointing out the one thing in particular that makes him more qualified for BMF status than Masvidal.
“You can’t still be the BMF after being dominated for five rounds….You can’t take L’s and be the baddest motherfucker in the game,” Usman argued.
Kamaru Usman has never lost in the UFC and has broken Georges St-Pierre’s record for most consecutive wins in the division. All signs are pointing to a rematch between Usman and Masvidal in the near future, though, so by Usman’s logic, Masvidal will have an opportunity to reclaim the BMF belt if/when that rematch takes place.
What are your thoughts on Kamaru Usman’s claim that he is the BMF champion?